FDA MEASURES TO REGULATE TANNING DEVICES ARE WELCOME

FDA has now put in place precautionary measures to address heightened concerns on use of sunlamps used in tanning salons. FDA rightly feels that additional warnings are needed to educate consumers about the potential risks involved like skin cancer.

Consumer advocates and medical groups like American Academy of Dermatology and others were quick to praise the FDA for the latest move. It referred to statistics that 2.3 million teens tan indoors annually, and that the risk of developing melanoma increases by 59 percent for people exposed to UV radiation through indoor tanning. Director of FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological health (Jeffrey Shure) remarked: Repeated UV exposure from sunlamp products poses a risk of skin cancer for all users – but the highest risk for skin cancer is among young, under the age of 18, and people with family history of skin cancer.

“Restricting teens’ access to indoor tanning is critical to preventing skin cancer,” the group’s president, dermatologist Brett M. Coldiron, said in a statement. “Therefore, we will continue to communicate to the FDA the need for stricter regulations on the use and sale of indoor tanning devices for minors under the age of 18.”

FDA had announced its intention to move forward with stricter regulations on sunlamps after it received a multitude of comments from patient groups, health professionals and the tanning industry, which has said it take safety seriously but worries about unnecessary and burdensome new regulations.
The agency is reclassifying the tanning devices  from “low risk” to “moderate risk,” a designation that will require manufacturers to demonstrate to regulators that their products meet certain standards before they are allowed to market them.

In addition, sunlamps used in tanning salons now must include a black-box warning stating that anyone under the age of 18 should steer clear of the products. Marketing materials for the devices also will have to include details about their potential cancer risks, as well as a recommendation that frequent users of tanning beds should get regular checks for skin cancer, given their repeated exposure to UV radiation.

Tans are caused by harmful ultra violet (UV) radiation from sun or tanning lamps. Both can cause DNA damage to skin.  Many studies have linked Melanoma, the most serious type of skin cancer, to use of indoor tanning. 

As a promoter of healthy skin, HERBALLY RADIANT has been highlighting the fact that there is no such thing as healthy tanning. Indoor tanning provides a sun protection factor of about 3, against the recommended level of at least 15 SPF.  Indoor tanning is designed to give you high levels of UV radiation in a short time.  We have been advising customers to protect skin from possible damage from sun or indoor tanning which could lead to premature skin aging, like wrinkles and spots, changes in skin texture.  One should apply sunscreen for protection with 30 SPF level which is much safer.

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